PaperCut Just Replaced Its Emergency Patches — Here's Why That Matters

Michael Miller · 2026-09-11

### What Just Happened PaperCut dropped a new security maintenance release on Thursday, and it quietly does something pretty important: it replaces every emergency patch the company pushed out to fix two flaws that attackers were already exploiting in the wild. The affected versions — PaperCut NG/MF 26.0.5, 25.0.13, and 24.1.10 — are now available for download. If you've been running on one of those rushed emergency fixes, this is the cleaner, permanent version you want. ### Why "Regular Maintenance Release" Is Actually Good News Here's the thing about emergency patches. They're built fast, under pressure, usually while someone's actively trying to break into systems. That urgency is necessary, but it leaves rough edges. PaperCut's own description frames these as "Regular Maintenance Releases (MR)" — and that phrase carries weight. It means the fixes have been folded back into the normal development cycle. No more duct tape. Just a stable release that does what the emergency patch did, minus the panic. > Emergency patches buy you time. Maintenance releases buy you peace of mind. ### The Two Flaws You Should Care About Both vulnerabilities were being actively exploited, which is the security world's way of saying real attackers were already using them against real organizations. That's the worst category to sit on. If you manage print infrastructure — and PaperCut NG/MF runs in a lot of enterprise environments — this isn't a "someday" update. It's a "before the weekend" update. A few practical points worth keeping in mind: - These releases apply across multiple version branches, so you're covered whether you're on 24.x, 25.x, or 26.x - The new versions supersede all prior emergency patches — you don't need to stack anything - Downloading directly from PaperCut is the only safe path; third-party mirrors can lag or be tampered with ### What This Means for Your Security Posture If you're running an older, unpatched version, you're exposed to flaws that people are actively weaponizing. That's a rough spot to be in, especially for something as foundational as print management software. The good news? The fix is straightforward. Upgrade to 26.0.5, 25.0.13, or 24.1.10 depending on your branch, and you're current. ### A Quick Reality Check on Patching Here's something I've learned watching these cycles play out: the organizations that get hit hardest usually aren't the ones without a patch. They're the ones with a patch sitting in a queue somewhere, waiting for "the right window." When exploits are active, there is no right window. There's just now, or there's risk. So if you've been putting this off — because of change management, because of testing requirements, because the last patch caused a headache — it's worth revisiting. The flaws here are the kind that attackers don't wait around on. ### The Bottom Line PaperCut didn't just patch a problem. It cleaned up the mess that emergency patching always leaves behind. That's a good sign from a vendor, and it's a good moment for admins to get current. Check your version. Grab the right release. Move on with your week.